Sense Cleanse – Introduction

Ending our teens 2019 with sense indulgence, let us begin our adulthood 2020 by cleansing our SENSES.

Some years back I saw a movie Idiocracy, where you get whatever you want with just a click of a finger. You are living in this tech-savvy era, where whatever you want is just a click away. Technological advancement is definitely a boon. Everything is in abundance in this world – be it food, diseases, clothes, health tips or diets. Sense indulgence is also in abundance, and so is your CONFUSION.

I have been an Ayurvedic Practitioner, Yoga teacher and wellness guide for over a decade. My interaction with different people made me contemplate on their confusion regarding the abundance of information (and misinformation) available nowadays, what to follow, and how to know which is true information. When contemplating on the confusion people had, I realized the role of senses – how naughty and smart they are and how they overpower them. You think you make decisions, but in reality, your senses make the decisions and you end up following them as slaves.

All the confusion is because of the outgoing tendency of the senses. Listing what these senses might be silly, as you already know them and they use us every day. Still my senses want me to let you all know.

Smell, Taste, Sight, Touch and Hearing

You are all aware of the principle of Microcosm and Macrocosm – which says you are a miniature of nature. The five fundamental elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether – that rule the nature are also present in your body. They rule your body and your senses.

To lead a successful and peaceful life, senses have to be under your rein, not the other way around. How can one tame and shape the senses? You exercise, cleanse and keep your body fit. Similarly, you have to exercise the senses, and cleanse to fit them in your life, instead of the senses exercising you. To cleanse them, you have to first understand the senses.

Through your senses, you perceive a stimulus originating from outside or inside the body. Senses are perception, and they are feelings associated with your sense organs.

Just as your physical body being composed and made of the five elements (panchamahabhutas), these senses and sense organs are also connected with the five fundamental elements.

The Vedic science of Ayurveda states that there are three Mental abilities:

Dhi – Learning

Dhriti – retention; doing what is best for you without sense indulgence.

Smriti – Recalling – Memory Recall

Apart from this, there is

Pragnyaparadha – which stands for misuse, non-use, overuse and underuse of senses. This is the root cause of all problems and confusion. Answer to this problem is to cleanse our senses.  

— Carak Samhita ch.su.1/21, ch.su.1/26 explains the mental faculties.

To see a small sample, if we contemplate on how are our senses attract us to food, you will realize:

• Smell invigorates and alerts our senses about the presence of food
• Our sight drags us towards the food
• Seeing the food, sense of taste awakens your salivary glands
• When the food touches our taste palate, it arouses your feelings and emotions
  • If the food is good, it induces happiness, and bliss
  • If it is not up to our expectation, it triggers dissatisfaction or disappointment.
  • You express/talk/share your reaction about the food outwardly by your comments; and your body expresses through your digestive system and organs of nourishment.
  • You make a good burp sound when the food agrees with you.
  • If not, your tummy rumbles and makes funny noises.

I am starting my approach to “Sense Cleanse” and will share with you my Awakenings through my blog posts.

Read the next article in this series – “Sense Cleanse – Integrate ASAB”

Until then,

Shambhavi